Chhavi Bhatia

New Delhi—The farmers’ union were a picture of unity at Singhu border on Wednesday when they unanimously rejected the Centre’s written assurance on amending the contentious farm laws. The show of strength came at a crucial time after two senior BKU leaders were reportedly not invited by the Centre for talks with Home minister Amit Shah.

After hours of huddle that started at Singhu border in the morning, the farmers turned down the proposal sent by the Union government outright, reiterating their stand that they will accept nothing short of scrapping the laws. The farmer leaders also decided to escalate the protest further after Tuesday’s meeting with Shah ended in a deadlock. The plans include blocking the Delhi-Jaipur highway on December 12, boycott of Reliance malls and capturing toll booths.

“We have also called for a nationwide protest on December 14. We are asking people to protest against every BJP MP and MLA,” said farmer leader Dr Darshanpal after the meeting. In the proposal sent today, the government promised in writing assurance of MSP and also allowing farmers to move court in case of disputes instead of a sub-divisional magistrate.

Earlier on, two key Bharatiya Kisan Union leaders Joginder Singh Ugrahan and Ruldu Singh Mansa were not invited by the government, a move seen to draw a wedge between the unions. However, the leaders were quick to respond to the move through a video where they emphasised that all the farmers from across the country and their leaders stand united. “We are anticipating such divisive moves from the government. But we want to tell them that it won’t work with us. We are together in this fight,” said Joginder Singh.